What are you doing today to manage your career?
What does it mean to manage your career and not have it managed for you?
How can you take the reins and direct your career?

These are great questions that successful people ask themselves every day. Because you see, managing your career is part of your day to day activities. Each meeting you attend, each conference call you lead or participate in, each one-on-one interaction are all steps to managing your career.

Where you spend your time and who you spend your time with will either position you to stay put or move forward. This gets to some of the more tactical ways in which you manage your career.

From a strategic perspective, are you on the path that brings you the greatest amount of energy and satisfaction? Are you moving toward your vision of success in your chosen field or profession? Or someone else's?

To begin to regain control, it starts with your vision for success in your life. Every professional has a strategy for what their next 1, 3 and 5 year plan will be for their career. But is this vision leading towards your definition of success for your life or towards what is expected? If they are one in the same, congratulations! If they are not, that's ok too! The mere awareness of it enables you to look at it with different eyes and to take inspired action to bring it more in line with who you are and what you want.

Talking with someone you know and trust or journaling can help to capture your thoughts. You could also consider meditation or visualization techniques. Clarity in this area can have a profound affect on your actions and sense of accomplishment. So give it the time and focus it deserves.

Remember how exciting is it with each new position or promotion to start something new? You get to bring all that you are to this new adventure - creativity, innovation and growth. What would it be like to have that same excitement and challenge in creating and driving your career? Are there new people in your circle as a result of the new job? Does this bring you closer to an area of interest that you'd like to explore? Are you being sure to keep site of the who, what and where of your next career move? Are you doing the things necessary to prepare for the next position? This doesn't always mean a move up - but it does mean a broadening of your skills, expertise and career choice.

Take control and create that new job excitement and drive your career to success!

Here's my two part challenge to get you started...

Part one, I challenge you to within the next 7 days, to spend quiet time with yourself and using whatever tools or resources that inspire you (e.g. journal, visualization, meditation, etc.) and see and feel what it would be like to fully and deeply be at the helm of your career.

Part two of the challenge; communicate that vision, feeling to a close, trusted and supportive friend with all of the passion that accompanies it By giving voice to it, you will make it your own! I want you to experience the joy and freedom of taking care of your own - your own life, your own career and your own self-satisfaction! You deserve it!